Kushinagar (UP), Jul 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday said they have busted “an organised gang” involved in religious conversion and eight people, including two women, were arrested.
The arrests were made following a complaint filed by Sunil Verma, a resident of Mahuawa Buzurg village, who alleged that his 19-year-old daughter was abducted and converted to another religion by “an organised group”, they said.
A joint team of local police and cyber cell conducted a search operation and safely recovered the young woman on Sunday.
An FIR was registered at Padrauna police station here on Saturday under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021, Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Mishra said.
Eight people — Taufiq Ansari, Ashiq Ansari and his son Imtiyaz, Mohammad Sahab Ansari, Zeeshan Qamar, Mazhar, and two women, Kaiser Jahan and Fatima — were arrested during the police operation, the SP said.
Police have not shared the exact location where the arrests were made.
Police said the accused confessed to being part of “a well-organised network” targeting Hindu women for religious conversion.
Officials said the gang was allegedly pursuing her for a long time and that they manipulated her through “emotional exploitation, inducements”, and eventually coerced her into converting.
Police also claimed that Taufiq Ansari used explicit videos and recorded conversations related to the conversion process to blackmail the victim’s family.
Kaiser Jahan and Fatima allegedly assisted in the “psychological manipulation” by showing religious material to influence the victim’s belief system.
A manhunt has been launched to nab other members of the gang who are still at large, police said.
Police have recovered two Aadhaar cards — one in the victim’s original name, Neha Verma, and the other in her converted name, Parvani Khatoon — 11 SIM cards allegedly used in the crime and nine phones used in the operation. PTI COR ABN ABN SKY SKY
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